Scots shrugged aside concerns over the country's obesity problem to spend more than £1bn on takeaways last year.

Each household spent an average of £35 a month on carry-outs and deliveries, according to research by Retail Economics.

The amount spent was up 9% on the previous year, suggesting the takeaway sector is growing at roughly twice the rate of the overall economy.

Spending in the UK could hit £15bn by 2023 up from £12.5bn now, the research commissioned by the British Takeaway Campaign (BTC) suggested.

The figures emerged a week after Food Standards Scotland (FSS) research revealed a majority of Scots (68%) were in favour of mandatory calorie labelling on takeaway menus.

Takeaway owners said Scots were looking for healthier and more diverse eating options and called for help to recruit skilled chefs from abroad.

Ajmal Mushtaq, who was named chef of the year at the Scottish Curry Awards 2017/18 and owner of Mushtaqs in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, appealed for support following the new spending figures.

He said: "I left my job as a management consultant to head back to Scotland to pursue my passion of being a chef and running my own business.

"Within five years of opening our doors, we employed 60 people. But since 2014, growth has plateaued because we're unable to recruit chefs from the local workforce.

"We need better support from the government to allow businesses to grow."